The competition kicked off back in August 2013 with qualifying regional tournaments (East, Central and West) featuring Under-17 teams from all 19 MLS clubs. The top three teams in each region advanced to the "International Tier" of the Generation adidas Under-17 Cup finals.

The Generation adidas Cup, Major League Soccer's U-17 championship, kicks off Monday in Frisco, Texas. It runs through Sunday, April 20, when the Generation adidas Cup champion will be crowned in Toyota Stadium, home of FC Dallas.

Nine MLS teams and three international squads – Stoke City (England), Flamengo (Brazil), and CD Guadalajara (Mexico) – will compete in the International Division. The winner of this division will be crowned champions. Eight other MLS teams, who did not qualify for the final round, will compete in the Domestic Division.

MLSsoccer.com will stream six matches live throughout the week, including the two semifinals on Friday, April 18, and the final on Sunday.

Adidas is a joint venture between Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer aimed at raising the level of young soccer talent in the United States. The program, sponsored by Adidas, encourages early entry (without college graduation) of American players into MLS. Until 2005, the program was sponsored by Nike and was called Project-40.

Generation Adidas players do not count against the MLS senior roster and usually earn a much higher salary than the league minimum. Entering into the program automatically classifies a player as professional, and thus disqualifies them from playing college soccer. As a result, Generation Adidas players are also guaranteed scholarships to continue their college education should their professional career not pan out.

FRISCO, Texas — After a dramatic final day of group play on Thursday at the Toyota Stadium soccer complex, four teams – two international squads and two Major League Soccer teams – earned spots in Friday's semifinals of the 2014 Generation adidas Cup. 2008 champion Real Salt Lake and Brazilian guest Flamengo earned the signature wins of the day with 6-1 routs against quality opponents, while host and two-time finalist FC Dallas and guest Stoke City posted shutouts to conclude solid group campaigns.

Both semifinals will be played at Toyota Stadium and will be broadcast live on MLSsoccer.com.• April 18, 7:30 pm ET: Flamengo vs. Stoke City• April 18, 9:30 pm ET: Real Salt Lake vs. FC Dallas

FRISCO, Texas — A moment of magic from Real Salt Lake playmaker Sebastian Saucedo broke open a tense game and helped Real Salt Lake cruise into the final of the Generation adidas Cup with a 3-0 win over FC Dallas on Friday night. In a rematch of a memorable group-play encounter from Tuesday, Salt Lake will face English club Stoke City, a shootout winner by the slimmest of margins over Brazilian side Flamengo in the night's first semifinal.

Sunday's championship game will be played at Toyota Stadium and will be broadcast live on MLSsoccer.com, kicking off at noon ET. Placement games for 11th, ninth and seventh place will kick off at 9:30 am ET, with the games for fifth and third place kicking off at 11 am ET. The Domestic Division will also conclude its slate of games on Sunday morning.

FRISCO, Texas — It proved impossible to separate MLS power Real Salt Lake and international guest Stoke City in the 2014 Generation adidas Cup, but Stoke City is flying home with the trophy after winning a dramatic shootout Sunday afternoon at Toyota Stadium.

The teams tied 1-1 in regulation, their second tie of the tournament after a frantic 2-2 draw In group play on Tuesday. In that contest, Salt Lake had edged Stoke in a shootout and eventually won the group, but Stoke qualified for the semifinals as the best group runner-up and got revenge on Real Salt Lake in Sunday's 3-2 shootout win. It was the fifth time out of seven editions that the tournament final has been decided by penalty kicks. Real Salt Lake won the 2008 title and lost the 2010 edition, both in shootouts.

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